Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen and author of All Work, No Pay, sat down with us to define today's hottest internship terms. Study up — this lesson will put you ahead of the game!

A-C

A-C

Alternative Intern(noun) An intern who is not a traditional college student — this can be a high school student, recent graduate, or adult.EX: Even though our alternative intern is only in high school, she’s really been killing it with the assignments lately!

Budget(verb) Budgeting your money is a necessary part of life for most interns, especially unpaid ones! Working for free can be tough, but if you're smart with your money, you can focus your energy on your job instead of worrying about how you’ll pay for lunch.Ex: Budgeting my money allowed me to save a little and get those killer heels I’d been dying for!

Copy Machine(noun) An intern's best friend.Ex: There’s a paper misfeed in the copy machine. For the third time today. #help

C-D

C-D

Credit Letter(noun) A letter from your school telling the company you’re working for that you are receiving credit for the hours you intern. Because some companies don’t pay their interns, they offer college credit instead.Ex: I have to remember to ask my professor to fax over a credit letter to my supervisor!

Down Time(noun) A time during the day or week when there’s a lull in your workload. Instead of perusing your Twitter and Facebook accounts, be productive! Look through back issues of magazines or do some research on the company. You could also introduce yourself to other employees around the office to see if they need any help.Ex: Working on a health blog during some down time today allowed me to learn something new and make a new contact at the magazine I’m interning for.